Shoe fastener



Dec. 29, 1970 F M WQQLNER 3550,213

vSHOE FASTENER Filed Sept. 20, 1958 United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 24-73 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shoe fastener comprising an elastic band disposed between two fastenng members which are constructed for insertion into shoe eyelets. The fastenng members comprise bases with legs protruding therefrom, each leg having a right angle bend whereby the leg lies flat after insertion into a shoe eyelet.

This invention relates to shoe fasteners.

It is an object of the invention to provide an easily operated shoe fastener of eflicient and inexpensive construction.

The invention features a shoe 'fastener comprising two fastenng members and an elastic band disposed between them. The elastic band has an unstretched length less than the distance between opposite eyelets of the shoe on which the fastener is to be used and has loops at its ends. Each fastenng member comprises a base to which the band is connected and two legs protruding from the base perpendicular to the axis thereof. The base has a length equal` approximately to the separation of successive eyelets on the shoe with which the shoe fastener is to be used. Each of the legs has an approximately right angle bend at a distance from the base approximately equal to the thickness of the shoe leather. The base of each fastenng member is nserted into one of the loops of the elastic band.

Other objects, features, and advantages will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the nvention, taken together with the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a shoe employing shoe fasteners of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially broken away perspective view of a shoe fastener according to the invention;

FIG. ZA illustrates the construction of an element of the shoe fastener o"f FIG. 2; and

FIG. 3 is a section taken at 3-3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 1 shows shoe fasteners of the nvention, indicated generally by and 10', in place in a shoe 12.

As will be more fully described below, each fastener is designed to employ two consecutive eyelets on each collar, 14, of the shoe. Therefore, the four eyelet shoe shown in FIG. 1 requires only two fasteners.

The construction of the shoe fastener is most easily described by reference to FIG. 2. The shoe fastener 10 has an elastic band 16, the ends of which are turned under and stitched to the -band thereby forming loops 18 and 20. The loops 18 and 20 are disposed around base por- 3,550,2l8 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 ICCy tions 22 and 24 of fastenng members 26 and 28. The base portions 22 and 24 as well as the elastic band 16 have widths approximately equal to the eyelet spacing of the shoe, as shown in FIG. l. This assures that legs 30 and 32 of fastenng member 26 and legs 34 and 36 of fastenng member 28 may be inserted conveniently into the eyelets. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the entire fastenng member may be constructed as a integral piece of a rigid material. The embodiment illustrated is constructed of heavy metal Wire.

The detailed construction of a fastenng member is shown in FIG. 2A. In this diagrammatic illustration, a cartesian coordinate system is superimposed upon a fastenng member 26. With the base 22 aligned with the X- axis, each leg 30 and 32 meets the base, at an end thereof, in a right angle. Thus, the legs initially lie in the Y-axis direction. Each leg, however, has a right angle bend causing a portion of the leg to lie in the Z-axis direction. With the Y-axis portion of the legs chosen to be approximately equal to te thickness of the leather, this construction provides a fastenng member which firmly remains in place while causing no discomfort to the wearer of the shoe, as may be seen by reference to FIG. 3.

The section of FIG. 3 illustrates the shoe fastener in place in a shoe. As therein shown, with the Y-axis portions of the fastenng members, legs appropriately sized, the Z-axis portions will lie flat comfortably between the shoe collar 14 and tongue 38.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe 'fastener comprsing two generally L-shaped in longitudinal cross-section fastenng members and an elastic band disposed between said fastenng members, said band having an -unstretched length less than the distance between opposite eyelets of the shoe on which said fastener is to Ibe used, each said fastenng member comprising a base to which said band is connected and two legs, said legs having portions thereof protruding from said base perpendicularl to the axis thereof and defining with said base a plane, said base having a length equal to the separation of successive eyelets on the shoe with which said shoe fastener is to be used, each of said legs having a right angle bend at a distance from said approximately equal to the thickness of the shoe leather each of said legs having end portions extending 'from said bend adapted to lie comfortably between a shoe collar and shoe tongue of an associated shoe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 583,564 6/1897 Benford 24 73 808,028 12/1905 Ellis 12-113 1,209,252 12/1916 Blatt 24-81A.1

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 12-113 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE CERTIFIC'ATE OF CORRECTION Pac-en: xo. 3 550 218 nared December 29` 1970 Inventarna) Fred Melvin Woolner It is Certified that error appears in the above-identified patent am: that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2 line 8, after "as" change "a" to Column 2 line 20, after "equal to" change "ne" to --the--;

Column 2 line 41! after "distance from said" insert --base--.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of June 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

-JILLIAM m. SCHUYLER, JR.

EDHARD M.FLETCHER,.TR.

Commssioner of' Patents Attestng Officer 

